Chapter 717 – Conclusion and Choice (4)
—
— Lee Eunsol
Everything in Room 301 began in the underground ruins of Gangwon Province.
These ruins are the place where my mother first arrived on this planet and also where she first met my father.
Of course, their first meeting was far from romantic!
Back to the underground ruins of Gangwon Province,
I returned to the place where everything started, to put a final point on it.
*
The first thing that hit me was a stinging stench.
The interior of the ruins was filled with the bodies of Administration Bureau researchers and soldiers, likely remnants of the clashes that occurred when my companions took control of this area in Room 301.
Even though more than a week had passed inside Room 301, there was no one to clean this mess, and with the warm weather, it became a hellish atmosphere.
A wasn’t someone to care about human corpses or anything like that.
Songee may not be as callous, but I’m sure she’s also too busy to observe dead bodies right now.
Just then, a quick and straightforward statement reached my ears.
“The Dukes are coming.”
With that, the host possessed by A collapsed to the ground.
— Swaaaah…!
Every time the Dukes appeared, a bizarre sound accompanied by an eerie atmosphere filled the air.
I never tried to analyze the cause of such phenomena before, but now I understood.
During A’s explanation of the Dukes’ characteristics to Songee, I learned as well.
— Kkiiiik!
Before I could even take a breath, the ground started to twist mercilessly.
The solid concrete floor began to reveal dark red flesh, resembling that of a beast, and instead of bright lights, the ceiling was filled with flashing green mist.
The corpses that had filled the area started to seep into the landscape like bricks, making the nauseating reality feel surreal.
If I were to view the ruins as a kind of art piece, it appeared filled with the madness of demons and the creativity of geniuses.
— Uruuung! Kuuung!
“…”
It was hard to grasp how the Dukes fought, but I could tell which side held the advantage.
A belonged to the higher-ranking and stronger tier among the Dukes.
However, that difference was not enough for him to take on two opponents alone.
It was normal to get pushed back, and indeed, he was being pushed.
Even though A was at a disadvantage, the clash itself seemed to drag on a bit since my mother’s specter had instructed B and C not to kill Eunsol but to capture her alive.
My mother needed me alive.
So, B and C absolutely couldn’t kill me.
In other words, my very existence was preventing the three Dukes from employing extreme measures.
“…”
From one perspective, A was using me as a human shield. While his usual polite demeanor and giving Songee a dangerous mirror shard might suggest he thought highly of me…
Once the fighting started, he shamelessly treated me like a shield for victory.
If I were to point this out to A, he would probably respond simply:
“This is the most logical tactic.”
In any case, for my own safety, I began to blow into the flute as I walked through the hellish twisting underground ruins.
The scenery within the ruins grew increasingly horrific, to a point where it was beyond any human comprehension.
It already felt like walking through the insides of some gigantic creature, but now it seemed as if that creature was alive and writhing.
Just as I was worried that some digestive fluid might splatter from all directions, something appeared.
If I had to label it, it was an entity resembling a huge eye made of wood. The round sphere rolled over and spoke in front of me.
“Princess, let’s stop here and come with me.”
“…”
“It seems you trusted the traitor and came here, but the tide has already turned.”
With A showing signs of defeat, this thing was basically telling me to give up.
It didn’t seem to lie.
We had already heard A say he couldn’t win two-on-one, and the fact that the opponent was leisurely trying to convince me was proof of that.
“Traitor… I call that guy A.”
“A?”
“You all called them B and C. I don’t really know your names.”
“The Princess—”
“What exactly is this Duke of Is? I’ve heard you are the result of my mother trying to create beings that transcend the flesh.”
“Did you hear that from A?”
“That’s why you are fundamentally different from the lower entities. The lower entities can swap bodies, but if they lack a body, they melt like a specter facing the sun. Meanwhile, you guys don’t seem to be constrained by having a body at all.”
“…”
“To put it more concretely, the essence of a Duke exists somewhat outside of reality. That’s why the power to distort their senses didn’t work effectively. Only the senses grounded in reality get twisted, while their essence can observe the world like a watcher.”
This explains why Songee’s various perspectives didn’t work on the Dukes.
At that moment, the writhing eye showed signs of confusion.
“I’m not quite sure why you’re bringing this up right now.”
— Jeeeing!
The reason I mentioned the origin of the Dukes was simple.
I felt that to get this being to listen to me, I had to share something intriguing.
And well…
“It’s a warning for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Be cautious. Since I’ve warned you of the impending crisis, do not forget this kindness.”
*
— Yu Songee
It hurts. I thought.
I had experienced all sorts of absurd happenings at the hotel, but despite that, the current situation was painfully torturous, as if my brain was melting.
This place is fundamentally an area where people shouldn’t go.
‘…’
A strange—a truly strange region.
If I were to borrow Duke A’s expression, it was a place close to the boundary of reality.
It felt like the very boundary where souls and minds reside.
It wasn’t a completely different location from reality.
Such an expression would fit only the 3rd floor of the hotel beyond the universe, which even prisoners find mysterious.
To put it bluntly, it felt like a world seen from another perspective.
The world felt like a snapshot from a comic strip.
The Duke appeared to be a distorted creature existing at the boundary of that single frame.
The scenery of the underground ruins transformed into a horrific abstraction.
Someone might tremble in fear, claiming that the devils of hell had descended upon the earth.
To me, it looked as if a snail perched on the “picture” of the underground ruins, squashing it.
Wasn’t the “dream” given as a reward for resolving the second floor, the principle behind someone weeping for the three thousand worlds?
‘…’
I entered this region initially with help from Duke A.
He directly showed me why various perspectives didn’t work on the Dukes.
The reason is simply that the essence of the Dukes is “slightly” out of touch with the frame.
The parts that deviate from the frame are unaffected by diverse perspectives.
‘…’
A had said that alone, I wouldn’t be able to maintain my body in this realm.
Not only would I struggle to maintain a physical form, but a weak human mind also wouldn’t be able to endure long at the boundary.
In reality, I could move.
That’s because I happened to have the “appropriate item” for this situation waiting for me.
— Sreurrr!
A natural thought came to mind.
The Athanasias in Room 103 are the builders of a civilization that transcends humanity.
Didn’t they also figure out the principles of the boundary with the help of science?
However, they couldn’t directly approach the boundary like Is’s Dukes.
It was a different question to ask which was greater between the Athanasias and Is.
It was purely a matter of whether they were born able to operate at the boundary.
Humans, while smarter than birds, wouldn’t be able to fly through the air with their bodies, as they lack wings.
…
Humans do not have wings, so they created airplanes.
Since Athanasias cannot directly occupy the edge of reality, they created tools that allow indirect interaction.
A world seen from another perspective.
A world interpreted through various viewpoints.
My legacy – that diverse perspectives were created by applying the principles of the boundary.
I gained insight into the true potential of my legacy.
Perhaps, realizing the original wish has released the functions restricted by the hotel.
…
Then, memories of the past came flooding back.
When I first gained a variety of perspectives in Room 103, I could employ those abilities, but I hadn’t been able to use them later.
Teleportation.
As I vaguely understood the principle, I realized it wasn’t really teleportation.
Imagine poking a piece of paper with a fork.
To the person living on that paper, it would seem as though three separate dots appeared unconnected by any visible link. This creates the impression of disjointed movement, resembling the notion of teleportation.
In reality, the fork lay underneath the paper.
…
I moved through the frames, walking from one to the next.
However, I understood that this movement would indeed appear as teleportation in reality.
— Jeeing!
The moment I reached the frame where my sister was, overwhelming feelings of loss hit me.
Until just now, I felt as if I were in a mystical realm that transcended mortality…
Now, I felt as if I fell back into the ordinary realm where greatness had faded.
If I could just reach the boundary, I could move as freely as Is’s Duke.
But I couldn’t reach that boundary on my own.
Just as I needed A’s help this time, a being capable of sending me there needed to intervene, either.
The Athanasias who created the bracelets couldn’t directly reach the boundary either, which made sense, after all.
They were born in the frame, after all.
Unlike Is’s Dukes, who weren’t born from the boundary itself.
I may someday surpass this limitation, but at least, it’s not now.
…
The moment I arrived at the frame where my sister was, the squirming snail on the frame showed signs of surprise as it spotted me.
If I had to express the Duke’s feelings right now, it would be just like this, right?
“Why are you coming out of there?”
Of course, it seemed my counterpart quickly realized that I had no ability to harm him.
That’s the truth.
While I understood new applications for the diverse perspectives, I couldn’t harm a Duke with the power of the bracelet.
I’m already comparing Dukes to snails, but I feel like a tiny microorganism lesser even than that snail.
Something impossible using diverse perspectives.
There was a separate item meant for that.
— Jeeing!
The moment I entered reality from the boundary – Nitochris’s mirror emitted a mysterious light that reflected the Duke!
“What the -”
— Crash!
The number of Dukes in this land decreased from three to two.
Or perhaps, it felt like they had multiplied from three to thousands.
“Child.”
“… Sister?”
“I tell you, show mercy and leave behind a large shard.”
“…”
“Through this, I wish to announce the great mercy of heaven upon earth, for this is the will of the Maitreya. Thus—”
“Sister, do you have to use that tone when you’re using your powers?”
“… Thus, the split Duke’s shards shall return to light.”
—
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.